Vertically sliding door



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United States Patent C) 3,304,994 VERTICALLY SLIDING DOOR Andrew F. Kozak, Camden, N.J., assignor to Data Instruments Division, Pennsauken, NJ., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 19, 1964, Ser. No. 368,566 6 Claims. (Cl. 160-202) This invention relates to vertically sliding doors of the type utilizing separate door panels. As will be understood from the detailed description herein, the door is particularly suitable for use in garages, warehouses and like structures.

General statement As a rule, the number and complexity of parts in doors of this general type determine the cost of manufacture Thus, for instance, an increase in the number of guides, hinges, etc. applied todoor panels increases the'weight of the door, which in turn requires additional apparatus, such as counterbalancing mechanisms, etc., capable of lifting the load. See, for instance, U.S. Patent 1,606,976.

Accordingly, another object of the present invention is to provide a door Where as few parts as possible are 1.

added to the panels, thereby to reduce weight and cost.

The construction of many prior doors necessitated'the use of levers, e.g. U.S. Patent 2,538,626, springs, e.g., U.S Patent 2,531,797, and pivoted arms, e.g., U.S. Patent 2,425,905, all of which add to manufacturing and installation cost.

By distinction, the present invention requires no such additional parts. I

Some have designed single-panel doors which are tiltable, e.g. U.S. Patent 2,594,360, but one drawback of this type is that the door kicks outward upon opening The present invention presents no such problem since the panels are raised vertically to a nesting position upon opening.

Another general design which has been attempted in the past includes vertically slidable panels wherein there is provided a separate vertical guide channel at either side of the door for each panel. See, e.g., U.S. Patents 764,- 582; 1,489,737 and 2,523,844. Difficulty has arisen with such construction because the edges of the panels tend to warp and stick in the channels. Moreover, the re quirement of separate channels for each panel has seriously added to the cost of these doors.

In the present invention, a single pair of members, each preferably of unitary construction, is utilized to support 1 structions using simple vertical casings at the opposite supporting members, is also distinct from previous con-.

3,304,994 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 ice sides of the doorway in which all of the panels slide, such as the type illustrated in U.S. Patent 782,534. The latter type of construction is susceptible to wedging also.

Since the panels of my door are provided with studs which, when engaged with the vertical panel supporting members, serve to keep the door tightly closed, the folding hinge type of channel previously used, e.g. U.S. Patent 720,124 is unnecessary.

The present door should also be distinguished from the type illustrated in U.S. Patent 3,079,989, and it should be particularly noted that the channel pockets shown therein are open at the top and are therefore suitable only to receive downwardly projecting positioning wedges. These downwardly projecting wedges are susceptible of becoming stuck in the pockets, and could not serve to lift the panels, as do the guides or studs of the present invention. Accordingly, the door illustrated in the 3,079,- 989 patent requires other additional elements to serve the lifting functions, which extra elements add to the weight and cost ofthe door. By the same analysis, the present invention is also distinct from other prior doors using open-top pockets in connection with downwardly projecting elements such as those illustrated in U.S. Patents No. 1,743,696, No. 2,007,552, and No. 2,282,914.

The drawings In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it"is not the intention to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the door in a closed position looking toward the door from the outside of the building with part of the building broken away in order to show details of construction.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged partly broken away perspective view of one of the panel supporting elements attached to a door post.

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the door in a closed position.

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the door partly raised.

along the lines V-V in FIGURE 4.

Details 0 structures shown in the drawings Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, there is shown part of the wall 1 of a building provided with an opening defined by vertical door posts 3, 4 and a horizontal member 2 extending between the door posts 3, 4 at the top of the doorway.

Visible also in FIGURE 1 are the sides of a wedgeshaped panel supporting member generally indicated by the number 5 shown supporting the ends of door panels 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. The position of the door panels when the door is raised to an open position is also shown by the dotted lines in FIGURE 1.

Attached to door post 4 and to the transverse member 2 is an angle frame 13 which is held firmly in posi- .tion by means of screws 14, 15 and 16. A pulley 17 is secured to angle frame 13 by means of screws 18, 19 and 20.

A platform 21 is attached to the door post 3 and to the horizontal member 2 by screws, such as 22, 23 and 24. The platform 21 supports a reversible electric motor 25, a gear reducer 26 and a double tracked pulley 27 mounted on a shaft 28 connected to the gear reducer 26.

Extending from separate channels of the pulley 27 as shown in FIGURE 1 are cables 31 and 32. Cable 32 extends directly downward from pulley 27 and is attached to a bracket 30 mounted on the back of the bottom panel 6. Cable 31 extends from pulley 27 over pulley 17 and thence downwardly to bracket 29, also mounted on the back of panel 6.

In FIGURES 2-5 there is shown in enlarged detail the structure of one of the panel supporting 'members, 5, and of the elements mounted on the front and back of the door panels which cooperate in the raising and lowering of the door. Since in the preferred form of my invention described herein the panel supporting members are identical, only one need be explained in detail.

In the preferred form herein shown, panel supporting member 5 is of unitary construction and is formed with a plurality of identical wedge-shaped projections. Each projection consists of a back portion 37, which is attached to the door post by means of screws 44. Sidewalls 38, formed integrally with back portion 37 extend into the interior of the building at right angles to the back portion 37 forming shoulders 45. Clamped on the shoulders 45 are rubber bumpers 36. As can be observed from the drawings, the projections are wedgeshaped because sidewalls 38 extend farther away from back portion 37 at the top of the projection than at the bottom thereof. Lips 39 project at right angles from the edges of sidewalls 38, and terminate so as to form a slot 40 in the outer face of each projection. It will be noted that the slope of the slot 40 is at an oblique angle to the back portion 37 and thus also to the plane of the door opening. Since all of the projections are identical, the slope of all the slots is the same, and all of the slots in a given panel supporting member are in alignment.

On the back of each of the panels 7-12 there are mounted a pair of tracks 34 in alignment with the slots 40 in the projections. At the top of each track 34 is a lug 35. Fastened on the front of each panel in alignment with the slots 40 of the projections of the panel supporting members 5 are guides 33. For maximum stability and strength, the guides 33 extend from the top to the bottom of each panel.

The manner in which the door panels are supported by the projections of the panel supporting member 5 is illustrated in FIGURES 2-5. Thus, for example, when the door is closed (FIGURE 3) the lower edge of panel 7 rests upon the shoulder 45 of the projection immediately below it and the panel is maintained against the panel supporting member 5 since its guides 33 are inserted into the slots 40 of the pair of projections adjacent said panel. Thus, when the door is closed each of the panels rests on the shoulders of the pair of projections immediately below it and is thereby retained against vertical movement and each of the panels is held in a fixed horizontal position by means of the guides 33 fitting into the slots 40 of the projections.

To raise the door, the electric motor is activated to draw in cables and 31 at a uniform rate. The cables initially raise guides 33 of the bottom panel 6 out of the slots 40 of the lowermost pair of projections of the panel supporting members 5. As the panel 6 is raised, its guides 33 will rise into the tracks 34 of panel 7 next above panel 6. When the guides 33 of panel 6 come into contact with stop placed at the top of tracks 34, panel 7 will itself be raised. As panel 7 is raised the guides 33 fitting on the front of this panel will rise into the tracks 34 on the back of the next higher panel. Thus, it will be understood that each panel picks up the panel next above it until the door is opened. When the door is fully opened, the panels rest in a nested position as shown by the dotted lines in FIG- URE 1.

In order to lower the door the direction of the motor 25 is reversed so that cables 30 and 31 are permitted to pay out, and the panels will descend under the force of gravity. The guides on each panel will slide into the slots of given projections and will be guided therein by the tracks 34 on the rear surface of the next above panel.

In FIGURE 5 there is shown in cross section a plan view which illustrates the interconnection of the guides and tracks of the panels when the door is being raised.

Summary of other important advantages of the present invention In view of the foregoing description, other advantages of this invention will be apparent in addition to those noted in the previous discussion of the prior art. Thus, for example, the following combination of features are unique with the invention here presented.

As can be understood from the foregoing specification, only four basic groups of parts are necessary, in addition to the raising means and cables, in the preferred form of this invention: panels, a pair of vertical supporting members, tracks on the back of the panels, and guides on the front of the panels which engage the supporting members when the door is closed and which engage the tracks on the back of the next higher panel to lift the same when the door is opened.

The door requires little head room when raised.

The door may be adapted to any width doorway without requiring any change in parts except for the length of the panels. This makes the door particularly economical both in the manufacturing and consuming standpoint.

The door utilizes a vertical panel supporting member which can be easily installed with a few screws.

In prior doors using separate guide channels, etc. for each panel, considerable expense was incurred in aligning the channels on installation. In the present invention, by contrast, this time consuming and expensive requirement is eliminated, since the panel supporting members are of unitary construction and since the slots of the projection of each member are aligned when the member is made.

The means used to raise the door panels is extremely simple and inexpensive since the door is lightweight, and thus, no counterbalancing means are necessary.

The doors are kept in interlocking contact when raised by the same element that fits into the door supporting member for each door. Thus, it is unnecessary to provide additional elements for interlocking the panels when they are raised.

The door is extremely economical to manufacture since its component elements are of standard size. Thus, the vertical support members placed at each side of the doorway are identical, as are the tracks on the back of each door panel, and the studs or guide on the front of each panel.

Since the doors are made out of components which are uniform and standard in size, mass production may be employed. Since the units will be interchangeable, a damaged door may be easily and quickly repaired simply by buying a new part.

Once installed, the door panels themselves may be removed, as in the case of damage, simply by raising the door and lifting the panels from their slots.

It is to be clearly understood that the terms and expressions used herein are employed as terms of description, and not of limitation, and that there is no intention in using such terms and expressions to exclude any equivalents of the apparatus described. It is also to be clearly understood that the specific apparatus shown and de- 5 scribed herein represent preferred embodiments only of my invention, and that various changes and equivalents may be restored to without departing from the principles of my invention or the scope of the claims hereof. Accordingly, it is intended to claim the present invention broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A unitary panel supporting member, useful in pairs or more to retain the panels of a vertically sliding door in vertical sucession to close a doorway, said panel sup-' porting member comprising in substantially linearly aligned series a plurality of projections wherein each of said projections includes:

(a) a back portion common to all other projections;

(b) two substantially parallel spaced apart sidewalls connected with and perpendicular to said back portion, the top edges of said sidewalls being apprximately perpendicular to the plane of the back portion, each of said sidewalls having an outer edge terminating in an oblique angle to the longitudinal plane of said back portion;

(c) a lip formed along said outer edge of each of said sidewalls connected therewith and perpendicular to said sidewalls, said lips terminating in an edge substantially parallel to the plane of said sidewalls so as to form a slot, said slot being at an oblique angle to the longitudinal plane of said back portion,

whereby door panels having projecting sliders may be supported by means of said sliders fitting into the slots, the lower edge of each panel resting upon the top edge of the next lower projection.

2. A vertically sliding door for a door opening comprising:

(a) a panel supporting member at each side of the door opening, each member having in vertical series a plurality of slots angularly disposed to the plane of the door opening, each slot of one member being horizontally opposite to a slot of the other member to form a pair,

(b) a plurality of panels extending transversely across said door opening, said panels having sliders on their front surfaces in vertical alignment with said slots, the sliders on each panel being slidable into one pair of said pairs of slots as the panels are lowered Whereby said panels are engaged and supported by said panel supporting members in vertical succession to close the opening,

(c) each panel above the lowermost panel also having tracks on its rear surface in vertical alignment with said slots for receiving the sliders on the front side of the next lower panel as the panels are raised,

(d) the panels with tracks also having stop means for maintaining said sliders in said tracks as the panels are raised whereby each panel above the lowermost panel may be raised by the panel below it, and

(e) raising means attached to the lowermost panel.

3. In a vertically sliding door for a door opening defined by a pair of spaced-apart substantially vertical door posts, the combination comprising:

(a) a plurality of movable panels extending horizontally across said door opening,

(b) sliders affixed on the front of said panels including a slider affiXe-d adjacent each end of the panels,

(c) a plurality of slider receiving means attached in vertical series to each of said door posts, each such means on one post being horizontally opposite to another such means on the other post to form a pair, each of said horizontally opposed pairs of slider receiving means being adapted to receive and retain the sliders adjacent the ends of a movable panel as the panels are lowered, whereby all of said panels when lowered are supported in vertical succession to close said door opening,

(d) lifting means attached to the lowermost movable panel, and

(e) means on the rear surface of each panel above the lowermost panel for engaging sliders on the panel next below as the panels are raised by said lifting means whereby each panel above the lowermost panel is raised by the panel below it.

fl. A vertically liftable door for a door opening comprising:

(a) a panel supporting member at each side of the door opening, each member having a vertically aligned series of slots extending upwardly away from the plane of the door opening at an oblique angle thereto, each slot of one member being substantially horizontally opposite to a slot on the other member to form opposing pairs of slots,

(b) a plurality of door panels extending transversely across said door opening,

(c) lifting means attached to the lowest door panel,

(d) a pair of sliders attached to the front surfaces of said door panels, each slider being in vertical alignment with the series of slots of one of the panel supporting members so that, upon lowering of the panels, the sliders on each panel register with and slide into an opposing pair of slots,

(e) track means affixed to the rear surface of each panel above the lowest panel for receiving the sliders of the next lower panel, and

(f) stop means alfixed adjacent the top of each of said track means for retaining the sliders of the next lower panel within the track means upon raising of the door whereby upward force upon the lowest panel during the opening of the door is transmitted to successively higher panels to open the door.

5. A vertically sliding door for a door opening defined by a pair of spaced-apart door posts, the combination comprising:

(a) a panel supporting member attached to each door post, each member having in vertical series a plurality of sockets, the longitudinal axes of the sockets of each member being substantially in the same vertical plane and having substantially the same angular disposition with respect to the plane of the door opening, the sockets of one member being substantially horizontally opposite to the sockets of the other member to form pairs of opposing sockets,

( b) a plurality of panels extending horizontally across said door opening, each panel having a slider on its front surface in vertical alignment with said sockets of one member and another slider on its front surface in vertical alignment with said sockets of the other member, the sliders on each panel being slidable into one of said pairs of opposing sockets as the panels are lowered whereby said panels are supported in vertical succession to close the opening,

(0) each panel above the lowermost panel also having track means on its rear surface in substantially the same vertical plane as said sockets for receiving the sliders on the front side of the next lower panel as the panels are raised,

(d) the panels with track means also having stop means for maintaining said sliders in said track means as the panels are raised whereby each panel may be raised by the panel below it, and

(e) raising means attached to the lowermost panel.

6. A vertically movable door for a door opening comprising:

(a) a pair of spaced-apart panel supporting members,

the members having in vertical series an equal plurality of slots angularly disposed to the plane of the door opening, each slot of one member being substantially in horizontal alignment with a slot of the other member to form pairs of opposing slots,

(b) a plurality of flat panels arranged in vertical series across said door Opening to close the same, each panel extending between a pair of opposing slots,

(0) slider means aflixed to each panel for engaging the pair of opposing slots for such panel to thereby maintain said panel in position between said opposing slots,

(d) lifting means for raising the lowermost panel,

(e) track means on the back of the panel next above the lowermost panel for receiving the slider means on the front of the lowermost panel so that the raising of the lowermost panel raises the next higher panel, and

(f) track means on the backs of the other panels for receiving the slider means on the panel next below when the latter is raised.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

D. L. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,304,994 February 21, 1967 Andrew F. Kozak It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 5 line 73, "in horizontal alignment with" should read horizontally opposite to Signed and sealed this 5th day of August 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR. 

3. IN A VERTICALLY SLIDING DOOR FOR A DOOR OPENING DEFINED BY A PAIR OF SPACED-APART SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL DOOR POSTS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) A PLURALITY OF MOVABLE PANELS EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY ACROSS SAID DOOR OPENING, (B) SLIDERS AFFIXED ON FRONT OF SAID PANELS INCLUDING A SLIDER AFFIXED ADJACENT EACH END OF THE PANELS, (C) A PLURALITY OF SLIDER RECEIVING MEANS ATTACHED IN VERTICAL SERIES TO EACH OF SAID DOOR POSTS, EACH SUCH MEANS ON ONE POST BEING HORIZONTALLY OPPOSITE TO ANOTHER SUCH MEANS ON THE OTHER POST TO FORM A PAIR, EACH OF SAID HORIZONTALLY OPPOSED PAIRS OF SLIDER RECEIVING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND RETAIN THE SLIDERS ADJACENT THE ENDS OF A MOVABLE PANEL AS THE PANELS ARE LOWERED, WHEREBY ALL OF SAID PANELS WHEN LOWERED ARE SUPPORTED IN VERTICAL SUCCESSION TO CLOSE SAID DOOR OPENING, (D) LIFTING MEANS ATTACHED TO THE LOWERMOST MOVABLE PANEL, AND (E) MEANS ON THE REAR SURFACE OF EACH PANEL ABOVE THE LOWERMOST PANEL FOR ENGAGING SLIDERS ON THE PANEL NEXT BELOW AS THE PANELS ARE RAISED BY SAID LIFTING MEANS WHEREBY EACH PANEL ABOVE THE LOWERMOST PANEL IS RAISED BY THE PANEL BELOW IT. 